Louver construction



18, l E. P. JONES 2,166,441

LOUVER CONSTRUCTION Filed July 24, 1937 Patented July 18, 1939 EMGAM.

PATENT OFFICE MEME CONSTRUCTION Mari ihillipliones, lilort lauderdale,

or to Gate @ity Sash & Door Company, Fort honderdste, lilla., 'a corporation of Florida Fla., assignppiicntion :duty 24, 11937, Serial No. 155,391'

i @latina This invention relates to adjustable louvers or shutters for windows, ventilators, or other places where openings are desired forone purpose or another.

Generally stated, the object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved construction and arrangement whereby a manually operated Worm gearing, or the equivalent thereof, is advantageousiy empioyed in an inexpensive form to manually control the opening and closing movements ci the shutters oi the lcuver structure.

it is aiso an object to provide certain details and features' oi" construction tending to increase the general eiiiciency and desirability of a louver construction oi this particular character.

To the foregoing and other useful ends, the

i invention consists matters heerinaiter set forth and claimed and shown in theaccompany ing drawing, in iriiiclri-Ti Fig. l is a perspective oi a manually adjustable louver construction involving the principles of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section on line 2-2 in Fig. i, on a larger scale.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail-sectional view' on line t-tl in Fig. 2- oi' the drawing.

Figs. t, 5 and 6 are perspective views oi the different parts of the manually operatedvworm gearing by which theshutters of the loiiver construction are opened and closed.

.As thus illustrated, the invention comprises a series of shutters i that each have a stationary pivot t .at each end thereof, and which each have a movable pivot 3 at each end thereof, said movable pivots being connnected to move in unison by a vertically disposed strip or member lt, at each side of the louver construction, the latter being mounted in the window frame ii, or other frame, in the manner'shown in the drawing. In this way, by up-and-down movement of the two members t, the louver shutters `l are tilted in unison about their stationary pivots 2, previously mentioned.

To facilitate this adjustment of the shutters, and to` make it easy and convenient, a worm gearing is provided at one side of the structure, comprising a bracket plate 6 that is fastenedv by screws "l to one side of the said frame. This bracket plate is preferably curved or formed with a groove at il, and is desirably set into a recess 9 in the said frame, as shown more clearly in Fig. 3 of the drawing. Also,'it will be seen, the plate 6 has av pair of ears forming bearings l0 that are struck out from the plate, leaving an opening .shutter construction.

il between the two bearings. In addition, the lower end of the plate 6 is provided with an i opening i2 for a rivet I3 that forms a pivotal axis for the gear it that is rigid with the arm i5, which latter has in turn a. bent end portion it provided with an opening` Il for a pin or pivot' It that 'provides a pivotal connection between the arm' I5 and the member t, previously mentioned. The horizontal shaft i9, in the 'form of a rod, extends through the frame 5, as shown, and is l@ mounted in the bearings iiigpreviously `inentioned, the groove t providing clearance for said rod, and upon this shaft there is fixed a worm' it for engagement with the gear it, previously mentioned. The outer end oi the shaft it is prom vided with a handie tl, by which the shaft can be `manually rotated.

In operation, when the shaft itl is rotated, inv one direction, the worm gearing provided will cause the shuttersi to move into a direction 2o to provide openings between them,v which open l ings can be greater or less, according to the de gree of rotation given the said shaft by the said handle'. Titien, when it is desired to close the louver construction thus provided, the said shaft g5 and. handle can be rotated in the opposite direction, with the result that the louver shutters i will be brought into 'overlapping engagement with each other, thus tightly closing the iouver.

It will be seen that, in some cases, it might 3oy be desirable to make the members il stationary, and to make the members 22, which connect together the pivots 2, movable up and down instead. In such case, the arm I5 would be pivoted on the members it, instead of on the members 4,and in this way the worm gearing can be applied either as shown, or in a reversed position, so to speak, if desired. But in either case, the general `principle and the mode of operation are substantially the same, the only difference being 40 that in the drawing the upper and outer pivots of the shutters are stationary, whereas with the said reverse arrangement, the lower and inner pivots'would be stationary instead. i

the invention provides a comparatively simple and inexpensive hardware unit for attachment to the frame or adjustablelouver of a The unit may be complete, with all parts thereof permanently connectedtogether, when the unit is complete for use, audit is then only necessary to insert the said screws 1 through the four holes 23 of the bracket plate 6 previously mentioned, in order to fasten the unit in place. Of course, the frame must be bored for the shaft I9, and one method of assembly of the unit with the louver construction would be as follows: The frame is made with the recess 5, and before the outer facing strip 24 is fastened in place, it may be bored for the shaft I9, and the handle 2I would not be fastened on the outer end of the shaft until after the latter is inserted through the strip 24 and the latter has been fastened in place. The said pivot I8 may be of any suitable character, but it is shown as a wood screw, which can be screwed into the member 4 to the extent that its end will loosely engage the opening I l, previously mentioned. Of course, after the strip 24 has been fastened in place, the handle 2I may then be suitably fastened to the outer end of the shaft, so that it can be used for rotating the latter. In this way, the assembling of the elements is quickly and easily done, but the invention, of course, is not limited to any particular manner of applying or assembling the different elements of the louver construction with the hardware unit shown and described.

It is of the essence of the invention that the construction is such that the worm 20 not only operates to rotate the shutters about their individual axes 3, but also serves to hold the shutters in any angle of adjustment thereof.

It will be seen that the recess is comparatively shallow, and that its open side face toward the other side of the window frame. In addition, it will be seen that the mechanical elements enclosed in this recess are combined and put together in a way that leaves the open side of the recess flush, so that nothing can interfere with the free movement of the member 4, the latter practically sliding up and down and more or less horizontally on the flat surface of the side of the window frame in which the said recess is formed.

The said member 4 is disposed snugly between the' side of the window frame and the adjacent ends of the shutters, so that the entire shutter construction is compact and easily put together. The bracket plate 6 is fastened by the screws 'I to the closed'inner side of the said recess 25, so that this plate and the flat portions I4 and I5 are in vertical planes disposed between the vertical plane of the member 4 and the vertical plane of the closed inner side of the recess. Also, it will Abe seen that the grooves 8, at opposite sides of vthe bearings III, provide clearance for the rod or shaft I9, and that with two grooves the device is either a right or a left, and that it can be used at either the right or the left side of thel window. The flat portions I4 and I5 are spaced a distance from the member 4 sufliclent to bring the gear wheel I4 into thevertical plane of the axis of the rod or shaft I9, in the manner shown more clearly in Fig. 3 of the drawing. It will be seen that the opening II provides clearance for the worm 20. and that the diameter of the latter is substantially the same as the distance between the member 4 and the closed inner side of the recess in which the worm gear device is mounted. The bearings I0 are formed, it will be seen. by

metal that is bent out of the opening II in the stamping or forming of the bracket plate. Thus the axis of the rod or shaft IS is in a vertical y plane betweenthe'vertical planeof the member 4 and the vertical plane of the bracket plate. l What I claim as my invention is:

l. In combination with a window frame, with a shallow open recess in one side thereof, facing the opposite other side, shutters pivoted at their ends on the opposite sides of the frame, a vertically disposed flat member pivoted on the end of each shutter, so the end of each shutter has two pivots, one fixed and the other movable about the axis of the fixed pivot, interposed snugly between the ends of the shutters and said recessed side of the frame, al vertically disposed bracket plate secured in said recess, by screws inserted through its lower portion into the closed inner side of said recess, so that said plate is disposed in a vertical plane between said member and the back of said recess, a pivot on the upper end of said plate, a gear wheel on said pivot, rotating in a vertical plane between said member and said plate, a pivot on said member, an arm rigid with said wheel and engaging said last mentioned pivot, bearings on said plate, below said wheel, a horizontal rod in saidbearings, so

that said rod rotates about an axis at right angles to the axis of said wheel, and a worm on said rod, engaging the lower edge of said gear wheel, so that by rotation of said rod all of the shutters are operated, said plate and wheel and arm and worm being entirely Within said recess, so that the open outer side of the latter is flush to permit free movement of said member close thereto, and said wheel being spaced from said member a distance to bring this 'wheel into the vertical plane of the axis of said worm, with said member presenting one flat side to said recess and the other flat side to the ends of the shutters.

2. A structure as specified in claim 1, said plate having an opening to provide clearance for said worm, and from which opening metal is bent out to form said bearings.

3. A structure as specified in claim 1, said plate having an opening to provide clearance for said worm, and from which opening metal is bent out to form said bearings, said plate having a groove to provide clearance for said rod.

EARL PHILLIP JONES. 

